Novak Djokovic Dominates Rafael Nadal To Advance At Paris Olympics

PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 29: Novak Djokovic from Serbia's team (Left) and Rafael Nadal from Spain's team take a picture before their Men's Singles second-round match at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The 60th match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic was not considered a memorable or exciting match.

Djokovic, who is ranked number one in the Paris Olympics, easily beat Nadal, who was not seeded, with a score of 6-1, 6-4. This victory allowed Djokovic to move on to the third round in singles at Roland Garros. Djokovic now has 31 wins to Nadal's 29 in their head-to-head matches, even though Nadal has won 8 times to Djokovic's 3 at Roland Garros, including in the Olympics.

Nadal, who has won gold medals for both singles and doubles events, is still competing in doubles alongside his partner Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic, who secured a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics, is still in the running for his first gold medal in singles. He will be facing either Dominik Koepfer from Germany or Matteo Arnaldi from Italy in his next match.

"I have a lot of admiration for Nadal, he's definitely a legendary player in our sport," Djokovic shared with Britney Eurton of Peacock while on the court. "We've competed against each other many times, especially at Roland Garros, one of the four major tournaments. He has a better record on clay courts, while I have a better overall record. However, we haven't played against each other too often in the last 3-4 years. Our last match was two years ago on this court, and he came out as the winner."

It was clear that he had faced many injuries over the past few years. His movements on the court showed this, but when he had the ball, he hit it very well. I did everything I could to make him uncomfortable and keep him guessing with my game. I was playing really well, except for a few moments when I was leading 6-1, 4-0 and started to doubt my shots. He took advantage and played some great games and points. The crowd got involved, making it challenging, but I was able to break his serve and finish the match with an ace. Overall, I am very happy with how I performed.

The two men, who have won 46 Grand Slam singles titles between them, had not faced each other in over two years since Nadal defeated Djokovic in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals.

Over the past few years, Nadal has faced various injuries such as a cracked rib, an abdominal tear, tears in his hip, an upper leg injury that needed tape during the Olympics, and a foot problem. As a result, he has had limited playing time in the last couple of years.

Djokovic, who recently had surgery on his knee, performed strongly on his serves and managed to keep control of the match from the back of the court. He showed no hesitancy in targeting Nadal's lefty forehand and patiently waited for the right moment to unleash his powerful two-handed backhand shots for winning points.

Right now, I am not performing as well in matches as I am in practice. When you are facing a player like Novak on the court, if you cannot find the right timing to push him back, you are in big trouble," Nadal shared with Peacock.

In the city of Paris, France on July 29th, Novak Djokovic from Serbia competes against Rafael Nadal from Spain in the Men's Singles second round match at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The event took place at Roland Garros and was captured in a photograph by Clive Brunskill for Getty Images.

In the opening game, Djokovic managed to win a point against Nadal after a shot from Nadal hit the net and missed the sideline.

The Serbian player gained a double-break advantage for 4-0 after Nadal hit a forehand shot poorly, sending it deep out of bounds.

Nadal managed to prevent the embarrassment of losing the first set without winning a single game by holding his serve until it was 5-1, but Djokovic eventually won the set when he served for it.

During the second set, Djokovic showed signs of being nervous when he angrily yelled at his team, failed to make a drop shot, hit a forehand poorly, and double-faulted on a crucial point, allowing Nadal to close the gap to 4-2.

Nadal kept going and was able to break Djokovic again in the second set, tying the score at 4-all with a powerful forehand shot that ended a long rally. Djokovic had multiple chances to win the point at the net, but Nadal's determination paid off.

However, Djokovic was able to recover by breaking his opponent's serve and taking a 5-4 lead with a drop shot on his fourth chance to break point.

After the match, Djokovic requested additional claps from the audience, but instead was met with boos.

As Djokovic was about to win the match with a score of 5-4 and 40-30, he finished it off with his fifth ace.

"I'm not sure if perfection or being a perfectionist really exist, but I definitely lean towards striving for perfection," Djokovic explained. "I hold myself to high standards because I know how much effort I put in. When I step out on the court, I aim to play at my very best. I feel like I owe it to myself, the game, the fans, my team, and my family. I do my best with what I have control over."

PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 29: Novak Djokovic from Team Serbia hits a forehand shot against Rafael Nadal from Team Spain in the Men's Singles second round game on the third day of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The match took place at Roland Garros on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

He said: "This is just the start of the tournament, the games will become more challenging, I am aware of that. I have been in similar situations before, I am familiar with this court. However, the performances I have displayed in the first few matches have boosted my confidence and belief that I can reach far in this competition."

Djokovic is the top man with 24 Grand Slam singles titles, but so far this year he has not been able to win any titles. He was defeated in the semifinals of the Australian Open by Jannik Sinner, had to pull out of the quarterfinals of the French Open due to a knee injury that needed surgery, and was outplayed by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.

Nadal, who has won 22 major singles titles, did not participate in the Australian Open or Wimbledon this year. In the French Open, he was defeated in the first round by Alexander Zverev.

Following their easy win against Argentina on Saturday, Alcaraz and Nadal took some time to consider their next move. While Nadal thought about pulling out of the singles competition, he ultimately decided to stay in the tournament.

Now he can concentrate entirely on the doubles.

"Yes, it's wonderful," Nadal commented about playing with Alcaraz. "I believe he is the top player right now and maybe another player like me who has had a long and successful career. It's a special situation, and we will do our best to continue fighting and moving forward."